Golfer’s elbow

Tendonitis of the elbow/ inflammation of the epitrocleitis

Epitrocleitis, that is, the elbow of the golsta, is a pathology that affects the medial part of the elbow. The cause is overload and strain of flexor muscles (hand and elbow), fast, rapid movements and contractions repeated over time, as happens precisely for the golfer as he grabs the club and performs the shot.

Although many consider it a simple inflammation, it is actually a degenerative pathology that if not treated leads to weakening of the tendon tissue.

Among the most at risk lately we also find tennis players, due to the advent of a new way of playing that sees fast spin shots, linked to the exasperation of the top spin (shot from the bottom up).

The difference between tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow is given by inflammation of the epicondyle on the outside (for the first case) and the epitroclea on the inside (for the second case).

The muscles involved in epitrocleitis are those that allow the rotation of the forearm (pronation), and the flexion of the fingers and wrist.

Pain is provoked when the movement, as mentioned before, is repeated and constant; lifting large weights, working by assuming an incorrect posture (for example when standing in front of the pc or office desk), they are attitudes that can induce the described inflammation.

The first signs of inflammation are acute pain, tingling, weakness in the hand and muscle stiffness. The pain disappears immediately after finishing physical exertion (or sports activity) but will recur as soon as we go to urge the affected party, not to make the elbow very sensitive to touch.

For a correct diagnosis, the specialist may require an MRI or ultrasound, although, most of the time, accurate local palpation is sufficient.

It is advisable to use ice especially after sports activity; wraps of about 10 minutes.

Manual or instrumental physiotherapy is excellent for pain alleviation, to inflame and to stretch the muscles. The use of braces can be useful instead to slow down muscle and tendon overload when rest is not possible.

Biostimulating magnetotherapy, shock waves are some of the treatments recommended to treat the pathology without renouncing the pleasures of sport and to “conclude the hole in one shot”.